British mountaineer, 32, has leg amputated after falling on Argentina’s Mount Aconcagua
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British mountaineer, 32, had his leg amputated and is in serious condition in hospital after falling 20,000 feet on Mount Aconcagua in Argentina.
- The 32-year-old man fell near a high base camp at 20,000 feet on Mount Aconcagua.
- The mountaineer fractured his skull and was evacuated by helicopter
A British mountaineer is seriously ill in hospital and has had to have his leg amputated after a climbing accident in Argentina.
The 32-year-old also suffered a fractured skull in the accident on the 22,837-foot Mount Aconcagua, the highest outside of Asia.
The unnamed Brit reportedly went down near Condor’s Nest, the site of a high base camp, when it was at just over 20,000 feet.
He was evacuated by helicopter before being taken to the Central Hospital in the city of Mendoza, in western Argentina, in an ambulance with a police escort to speed up his arrival.
The 32-year-old Briton fell on the 22,837-foot Mount Aconcagua, the world’s highest mountain outside of Asia.
The alarm was raised around 6 pm local time on Tuesday.
Local authorities said he had suffered a fracture at the base of his skull and the amputation of his right leg as a result of his fall.
He was said to have been unconscious and in “serious condition” when he was admitted to hospital. There hasn’t been any update from the hospital yet.
Tuesday’s accident occurred three days after a 55-year-old French climber was left fighting for his life after falling near the same spot.
He suffered multiple injuries, including chest injuries and a skull fracture.
Yesterday he remained in intensive care on a ventilator and local reports said that doctors were considering transferring him to the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
Aconcagua is located in the main mountain range of the Andes and is located 70 miles northwest of Mendoza and only nine miles from the border of Argentina with Chile.
Aconcagua is located in the main mountain range of the Andes and is located 70 miles northwest of Mendoza and only nine miles from the border of Argentina with Chile.
Altitude sickness is a problem that affects most climbers. The normal route of the route is the easiest with the other routes, especially the climb of the south face, considered quite difficult.
Around 75 per cent of climbers are foreigners, with those from the UK leading the way after Americans and Germans.
British tourist Roger Cookson, 58, died in January 2015 after falling ill while attempting to climb Aconcagua with a friend and local guide.
They were only 500 meters from the summit when the Scotsman suffered respiratory failure.